The Filmmakers

Andrea Kalin, Director, Executive Producer 

Andrea Kalin is an Emmy Award Winning filmmaker and founder of Spark Media, a production company dedicated to producing films with a social conscience. She has worked in over 25 countries, from disaster zones to remote tropical rain forests, bringing gripping human stories to the screen. Kalin’s storytelling gifts have earned her more than 70 industry awards and accolades; including: a Prime Time Emmy, and Golden Globe and WGA nominations. Kalin specializes in telling emotional stories that depict lives of courage, perseverance and dignity set against brutal injustices and seemingly insurmountable hardships. Some of her films dramatize lives that until now have been lost to history, while others address contemporary social issues.  Launched in 1989, her production company Spark Media truly is a “spark,” as it utilizes visual narratives to increase awareness, create connections and empower audiences to become more engaged and committed to make a difference in the world in which we live.

Karen Simon, Producer

Producer Karen Simon has worked on several Spark Media documentaries, including Prince Among SlavesSoul of a People: Writing America’s Story, and Partners of the Heart.  She also led the innovative national educational outreach effort for Partners of the Heart.  Karen was a producer and on-air host for Voice of America for eight years, after which she went on to direct a non-profit theater group for homeless and at risk children, and is still active in community theater.


Oliver Lukacs, Co-Producer, Director of Photography

Oliver Lukacs was the associate producer and assistant editor on Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story, and headed the archival research for Worlds of Sound: The Ballad of Folkways, both of which aired on the Smithsonian Channel. Prior to his film work, Lukacs was a freelance journalist, and wrote for The Lookout, LA Weekly, Washington City Paper and WTOP Radio.  In addition to co-producing and filming No Evidence of Disease, Lukacs also served as Contributing Editor.

Amy Young, Editor

Amy Young is a documentary editor, whose work has screened theatrically, as well as on PBS Frontline, NOVA, Discovery, National Geographic, and the BBC.  Her work includes Eye of the Storm, a cinema verité profile of former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan that was distributed worldwide. She also edited the Emmy-nominated film Sentenced and Moon Shot, which won a Peabody Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award for editing.

Bryan Sarkinen, Director of Photography

Bryan Sarkinen was the Director of Photography on Spark Media’s The PactAllah Made Me Funny and Too Brief a Child. In addition to his work with Spark Media, Sarkinen regularly works with Bad Boy Entertainment, where his projects have included Diddy’s Press Play album and his 2007 European tour with Snoop Dogg.  Sarkinen other work includes Court TV’s Under Fire, CNBC’s The Oprah Effect, HBO’s Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven, and Johanna Lee’s The Pit.

Jung Ah Suh, Art Director

Jung Ah Suh is a creative director and branding strategist.  From 1995 until 2011, she led brand ideation and design as President of the Innovation Lab for Arnell Group in New York, whose clients include HBO, DKNY, Banana Republic, Samsung, Mikimoto, Reebok, Chrysler, Pepsi, Kerzner International, Gucci and Special Olympics. In 2012, Suh launched Mews, a seamless virtual network, bridging technology and creativity in developing brand platforms and extensions.

Larry Maxwell, MD, Advisor

Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Dr. Maxwell is a gynecologic oncologist and researcher.  In addition to his role as a surgeon, educator and researcher, Dr. Maxwell has devoted himself to increasing public awareness of Gynecologic cancers, and is the founder and director of The Globe-athon: The Walk to End Women’s Cancers.  He also played an integral role in the foundation of the band No Evidence of Disease and sees the group’s success as a lightning rod for the national public awareness campaign.

crew.jpg
 
 

About Stone Soup Productions

Washington, DC-based Stone Soup, Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that specializes in creating media programs that highlight the rich diversity of America’s culture and achievements. Our broadcast documentary programs, such as Soul of a People and No Evidence of Disease, create far-reaching audience impact and open pathways for additional exploration of human themes. Click here to visit the Stone Soup website.

About Spark Media

Spark Media was founded by film director and producer Andrea Kalin in 1989. Since its inception the Washington, DC based company has specialized in making meaningful programs that build bridges between diverse cultures and perspectives. Spark Media strives to both inform and inspire audiences with stories that are compelling, entertaining and real. Spark’s stories connect people, changing one family, one community, one struggle at a time. Click here to visit the Spark Media website.

About Pinkie Hugs

A mother-daughter team with a love of the arts and film, a passion for service, and a commitment to social justice established Pinkie Hugs, a writing and film production firm specializing in social justice-focused documentaries. Through Pinkie Hugs, Dicey Scroggins and Nneka Scroggins profile individuals and significant circumstances, document movements and movements-in-the-making, and share really good stories. Dicey and Nneka care about people, causes, movements. And they document them.